Say g’day – Amberol’s talking penguin takes a trip down under

One of Amberol’s most iconic products has become the company’s first export to Australia. The Percy Penguin litter bin recently made the 9,000 mile journey to Perth in Western Australia where it has taken up residence at one of the region’s public swimming pools.

The penguin bin is part of the local council’s drive to reduce littering and to encourage children to dispose of rubbish appropriately. It has a recordable voice box enabling people to load pre-recorded songs and phrases, or to add their own messages. A motion sensor detects when litter is deposited and every time this happens, the penguin speaks. Messages will be changed regularly; the penguin’s current responses include ‘Yum yum, feed me more’ and ‘Thanks, that‘s the best meal I’ve had today’.

The penguin bins were first spotted by the council’s pool manager who had seen them at Eftling amusement park in Holland. “He saw that children were lining up to put rubbish in the bin and so he tracked us down on the internet,” explains Amberol’s MD Patience Atkinson-Gregory. “We believe that this is the first Amberol talking penguin in the country.”

Although a new addition to the town, the penguin has already proved popular with families and young children. “While there are numerous bins located throughout the pool grounds, the talking penguin bin has been a big hit with children and parents alike,” explains local council president Kerry White.

Made of recyclable polyethylene, the penguin bins are located at a range of different sites across the UK including primary schools, theme parks and Sea Life Centres, as well as in countries further afield such as Israel and Norway. Click here to see Amberol’s range of litter bins.